Category: Environment

Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has hit its highest rate in a decade, according to official data. About 7,900 sq km (3,050 sq miles) of the world’s largest rainforest was destroyed between August 2017 and July 2018 – an area roughly five times the size of London. Environment

China, Russia and Canada’s current climate policies would drive the world above a catastrophic 5C of warming by the end of the century, according to a study that ranks the climate goals of different countries. The US and Australia are only slightly behind with both pushing the global temperature rise

Air pollution levels remain dangerously high in many parts of the world. New data from WHO shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. Updated estimations reveal an alarming death toll of 7 million people every year caused by ambient (outdoor) and household air

The world has two years to secure a deal for nature to halt a ‘silent killer’ as dangerous as climate change, says biodiversity chief. The world must thrash out a new deal for nature in the next two years or humanity could be the first species to document our extinction,

Air pollution is the “new tobacco,” the head of the World Health Organization has warned, saying the simple act of breathing is killing 7 million people a year and harming billions more. Over 90% of the world’s population suffers toxic air and research is increasingly revealing the profound impacts on the health

Just five countries hold 70% of the world’s remaining untouched wilderness areas and urgent international action is needed to protect them, according to new research. Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have for the first time produced a global map that sets out

Air pollution occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of substances including gases, particulates, and biological molecules are introduced into Earth’s atmosphere. It may cause diseases, allergies and even death to humans; it may also cause harm to other living organisms such as animals and food crops and may damage the natural or built environment. Both human activity and

Microplastics were found in sea salt several years ago. But how extensively plastic bits are spread throughout the most commonly used seasoning remained unclear. Now, new research shows microplastics in 90 per cent of the table salt brands sampled worldwide. Of 39 salt brands tested, 36 had microplastics in them, according

Exports of plastic waste from the US to developing countries have surged following China’s crackdown on foreign waste imports, new research has shown. Nearly half of plastic waste exported from the US for recycling in the first six months of 2018 was shipped to Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, according to

Air pollution may increase the chance of developing dementia, a study has suggested, in fresh evidence that the health of people of all ages is at risk from breathing dirty air. People over 50 in areas with the highest levels of nitrogen oxide in the air showed a 40% greater risk

The Observatory issued the No 10 signal at 9.40am as Severe Typhoon Mangkhut buffeted the city with powerful winds. Hong Kong was faced with a total shutdown on Sunday, with flights cancelled, villagers evacuated from low-lying areas, and government departments are activating their emergency response plans. Mangkhut, named after the

Shortly after sunset, along an isolated stretch of highway leading out of a dusty hamlet in northern Peru, a band of five weary farmers clad in reflective neon vests and armed with traditional whips made of bull penises set out on a solemn march. The Ronderos – self-governing peasant patrols –

A team of scientists and engineers will on Saturday begin an ambitious clean-up of plastics in the Pacific Ocean targeting a stretch of water three times the size of France known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. A 600m-long floating barrier will be launched off the coast of San Francisco and,

The secretive trade of coastal sand to wealthy countries such as China is seriously damaging the wildlife of poorer nations whose resources are being plundered, according to a new study. Sand and gravel are the most extracted groups of materials worldwide after water, with sand used in the concrete and asphalt

A proposal to mechanically dredge kelp forests off the coast of Scotland has led to an outcry from conservationists, who say it would destroy local ecosystems. Ayr-based company Marine Biopolymers has approached Marine Scotland to apply for a licence to use a comb-like device that pulls entire kelp plants from the bed. To inform the

It is known affectionately as Belgium’s answer to St Tropez – a town once frequented by Frank Sinatra and Marlene Dietrich and which has inspired the pop art of Keith Haring and surrealism of René Magritte, who painted the walls of the town’s casino. But now the chic, if slightly

The entire state of NSW is now impacted by drought, official figures show. A drier-than-expected June and July have left many farmers with failing crops, a short supply of water and diminishing livestock feed. According to the NSW Department of Primary Industries, 61% of NSW is either in drought or

The recycling crisis is forcing us all to consider what to do with our waste, but recycling should be the last resort for the global problem of plastic pollution. In her new book Turning the Tide on Plastic, eco-lifestyle expert and regular Guardian contributor Lucy Siegle sets out a better

Throughout the 1950s, the US, the Soviet Union, and others tested thermonuclear weapons in the Earth’s atmosphere. Those tests released vast quantities of radioactive material into the air and triggered fears that the nuclear reactions could ignite deuterium in the oceans, thereby destroying the planet in a catastrophic accidental fireball.

Tens of thousands of brightly coloured plastic drinks bottles tumble from the back of a truck on to a conveyor belt before disappearing slowly inside a warehouse on the outskirts of Oslo. As a workman picks up a few Coke bottles that have escaped, Kjell Olav Maldum looks on. “It

Emily Kavanaugh is standing in her skincare-product shop, Pure Nuff Stuff, on Chapel Street. The narrow lane leads down towards the Jubilee pool, the triangular lido that juts like a ship’s prow into the sea from Penzance. “Here, try one,” Kavanaugh says, handing me a piece of packing material. The

A mysterious surge in emissions of an illegal ozone-destroying chemical has been tracked down to plastic foam manufacturers in China, according to an on-the-ground investigation published on Monday. The chemical, trichlorofluoromethane or CFC-11, has been banned around the world since 2010 and is a potent destroyer of ozone, which protects life

From his balcony above Marseille’s port, Jean-Pierre Eyraud has a prime view of the giant, luxury cruise liners that dock in the city bringing 1.5 million passengers a year. But since Eyraud was diagnosed four years ago with throat cancer – a diagnosis several others in his neighbourhood by the port have

Temperature rises as a result of global warming could eventually be double what has been projected by climate models, according to an international team of researchers from 17 countries. Sea levels could also rise by six metres or more even if the world does meet the 2-degree target of the Paris accord. The

As a boy growing up in Sikkim, the Indian state nestled below the Himalayas, Rajendra Gurung remembers how, before leaving the house to go shopping, his parents would always ask each other: “Have you got the bag?” Back then, no shopkeeper used plastic bags. Families took their own, made of

Smog more toxic than can be measured by monitoring devices has blanketed the Indian capital this week, months before the start of Delhi’s traditional “pollution season.” A thick haze was visible across the city from Tuesday, and some government pollution monitors have recorded concentrations of 999 – the highest they

Ice in the Antarctic is melting at a record-breaking rate, and the subsequent sea rises could have catastrophic consequences for cities around the world, according to two new studies. A report led by scientists in the UK and the US found the rate of melting from the Antarctic ice sheet

With advances in transportation and information technology, even the most remote places on Earth are within reach of the traveller. In fact, tourism is now the world’s largest industry, with nature tourism the fastest growing segment. People want to experience nature and the world, but should try to do so in a way

Haleakala National Park

““Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),”

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There is a polio outbreak in Niger. CDC recommends that all travelers to Niger be vaccinated fully against polio.

Astronomy Picture of the Day

The Bubble Nebula. Credit & Copyright: Dave Jurasevich (Mount Wilson Observatory). Catalogued as NGC 7635, also known simply as The Bubble Nebula, the 10 light-year diameter bubble offers evidence of violent processes at work. Above and right of the Bubble's centre is a hot, O-type star, several hundred thousand times more luminous and approximately 45 times more massive than the Sun. A fierce stellar wind and intense radiation from that star have blasted out the structure of glowing gas against denser material in a surrounding molecular cloud. The Nebula lies 11,000 light-years away toward the constellation Cassiopeia. This image and shows emission from sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in red, green, and blue hues.

Sturgeon

Human Nature shares three stories from the past week that you should know about.

Olivia DeSmit

Imago Dei

The Shuar are an indigenous people of Ecuador and Peru. They are members of the Jivaroan peoples, who are Amazonian tribes living at the headwaters of the Marañón River. The centre of Shuar life is an autonomous household consisting of a husband, his wives (usually two), unmarried sons, and daughters. Upon marriage, sons would leave their natal household, and sons-in-law would move in. Men hunted and wove clothes; women gardened.

Exercise normal precautions in Fiji. Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page. If you decide to travel to Fiji: Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency. Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter. Review […]

National Flag of The Nigeria

The flag of Nigeria was officially hoisted on 1 October 1960. The flag has three vertical bands of green, white, green. The two green stripes represent Nigeria’s natural wealth, while the white band represents peace.

Latest update: Safety and security section (Crime) - update to information on incidents of armed robbery; recent reports indicate that single women drivers stuck in traffic jams in the Pétion-Ville area are being targeted by armed assailants

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Work of Art

Sunflowers (Tournesols) is the name of two series of still life paintings by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. The first series, executed in Paris in 1887, depicts the flowers lying on the ground, while the second set, executed a year later in Arles, shows a bouquet of sunflowers in a vase. In the artist's mind, both sets were linked by the name of his friend Paul Gauguin, who acquired two of the Paris versions. On March 30, 1987, Japanese insurance magnate, Yasuo Goto, paid the equivalent of US $39,921,750 for van Gogh's Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers at auction at Christie's London. The painting currently resides at Seiji Togo Yasuda Memorial Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo.

If you pick somebody's brains, you ask them for detailed information or ideas about something.

Pray for Christians in Egypt

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Creation is enthralling and mysterious, and the wisdom of God remains perennially unfathomable. To know Him is to barely understand His heart but to know myself, despite the many regrettable mistakes that have been made, is to understand the sufficiency of His grace, faithfulness, and lovingkindness. My enriching journey with Him took me through the halls of national service (the army), auditing, cross-cultural missionary service, church work, mentoring, psychology, and caregiving. Although now in retirement, I am still very much a learner at heart and an avid reader, and despite the smudges in life, I love it. Eternity then becomes a lifelong expectation. Zheluo Cai

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The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy by Daniel Kalder. Published March 2018, Henry Holt & Co. ISBN: 1627793429.

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Christian Love

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 8.